Research Data Centres: Labour market outcomes

Four papers, conducted under the Research Data Centres program, have been published (in French only) in the current issue of Recherches Sociographiques. These four studies examine the labour market outcomes of single mothers, unemployed workers, recent immigrants and workers in Quebec and Ontario.

"Pauvreté des familles monoparentales" ("Lone-parent families' poverty") compares the labour market experiences of single mothers before and after the break-up of their marriages. The study shows that women who did not enter or re-enter the labour market after the birth of their children are less likely to find good-paying jobs as they become single parents.

"Chômage et stratégies des familles" ("Unemployment and family strategies") compares the labour market outcomes of unemployed workers under the Unemployment Insurance program to those under the newer Employment Insurance program. The authors find that those under the Employment Insurance program were able to find jobs quicker than those under the older program, but were less likely to enroll in training programs.

"Les nouveaux immigrants et le 11 septembre" ("Recent immigrants and September 11") examines whether new immigrants to Canada had more difficulty in obtaining employment after the events of September 11 than they did before 9/11. The article finds that a general decline in the demand for labour resulted in both immigrants and non-immigrants experiencing more difficulty in getting hired after 9/11. However, recent immigrants in their early-to-mid-thirties were equally successful at finding work both before and after 9/11.

"Inégalité salariale, Quebec-Ontario" ("Wage inequality, Quebec-Ontario") examines the economic impacts of globalization by comparing the earnings of Quebec and Ontario workers in industries with high and low levels of foreign competition. The study finds that increased trade did not increase earnings inequality within these two provinces, and that the incomes of those employed in industries more exposed to trade grew by as much or more as those employed in industries less exposed to trade.

These four papers used the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics and the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada. They are available in French only. The analyses for these projects were conducted in the secure environment of the Research Data Centre at the Quebec Inter-university Centre for Social Statistics at the Université de Montréal.

The Research Data Centres program is part of an initiative by Statistics Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and university consortia to help strengthen Canada's social research capacity and to support the policy research community. There are currently 16 centres operating at various universities across the country.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey numbers, including related surveys, 3889, 4422 and 4450.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of these articles, contact Dr. Michael R. Smith, (514-398-6849), Department of Sociology, McGill University.

The articles and journal are available from the Quebec Inter-university Centre for Social Statistics. To obtain a copy of the journal or the articles, contact Luc St-Pierre (ciqss@umontreal.ca).

For more information about the Research Data Centre program, contact Gustave Goldmann (613-951-1472), Research Data Centre program.